Brumos Collection opens, includes Porsche 917 from Le Mans movie

The Brumos Collection has opened an interactive museum in Jacksonville, FL, that includes a Porsche 917K used by Steve McQueen in the movie ‘Le Mans’ as well as several other collector cars.

The new 35,000 square-foot interactive museum is “dedicated to the technology, innovation and historical significance behind some of the world’s finest automobiles,” and contains almost 40 rare and significant cars.

The Brumos Collection is housed in grounds that feature guard rails along the roadways, while a board track walkway leads to the building entrance, and the surrounding brickwork pays tribute to Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

“More than a technical tale, the exhibition reveals the very soul in these machines – cars inspired by their predecessors, with never-before-seen technologies developed by the hands of masters, tested in competition, and celebrated in history.

“Using interactive media, we’re able to bring these magnificent vehicles to life, providing guests with the opportunity to explore at their own pace.”

Arguably the star exhibit is a 1970 Gulf-liveried Porsche 917K driven by McQueen in Le Mans after being used by the Weissach marque for testing. Following more than 20 years of storage in a barn, restoration on this 917 began in 2001 and it was last seen publicly in 2017.

Photo by: Peter Harholdt

The Porsche 908 on display (above) is the Short-Tail Coupe shared by Vic Elford and Jo Siffert on their way to victory in the 1968 Nurburgring 1000km. Despite starting 27th, Siffert was into second at the end of the first 14-mile of ‘The Green Hell’ and took the lead on Lap 2 with a new lap record.

Other show highlights include a Porsche 917-10 used by Peter Gregg in the 1972 Can-Am championship and by Hurley Haywood in ’73. It was the first car to carry Brumos’ now-iconic white, red and blue livery.

Photo by: Peter Harholdt

Speaking of Gregg, the legendary IMSA GT ace’s final car, a Porsche 935 (above), is displayed as it raced in 1979, complete even down to the driver’s favored tartan seat upholstery. This legendary #59 car won more than 50 percent of the races it entered.

The 1914 Peugeot L45 is one of only two of the marque’s great early grand prix cars left in existence, while the 1923 Miller 122 Grand Prix car was raced by Count Louis Zborowski in England, Spain and France.